Intensive Care Unit

July 27, 2012 398 No of hits

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The intensive care unit is a unit in the hospital dedicated to supplying constant, vigilant care around the clock. Patients in intensive care units are usually high risk patients who need constant attention.

Most hospitals have multiple intensive care units that deal with patients in different situations. For example a neonatal intensive care unit cares for infants who were born premature or with major health problems, while a cardiac intensive care unit may work with patients who have just had, or are waiting for, heart surgery.

Intensive care units provide critical care, care that treats a life-threatening illness or injury. Critical care may be administered anywhere a patient's life is in danger, including in an ambulance, at a trauma center or in an emergency room, but most critical care is administered by intensive care units.

The differences between an intensive care unit and a standard care unit include equipment, staffing and intensity of care. The staff who work in intensive care units are specially trained to work in this high-pressure environment. Patients in the intensive care unit are transferred from the emergency department, surgery, or another unit or health care facility. Because patients in intensive care require more attention than patients in standard care units, medical professionals must monitor them more closely and check on them more often. Often, intensive care units have open floor plans which allow the staff to handle more patients at once.

Intensive care units are also full of specialized equipment. This can include mechanical ventilators, or respirators, which help patients breathe, traction pulleys to keep broken bones in alignment and a range of monitors tracking everything from heartbeat to pressure in the cranial cavity.

One common type of intensive care unit is the Neonatal Intensive Care Unit (NICU). The NICU serves babies who are born premature, that is, babies born much too early, or babies born with infections or congenital abnormalities. Many of these babies must be housed within enclosed cribs to protect them and keep them warm.

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The intensive care unit is a unit in the hospital dedicated to supplying constant, vigilant care around the clock. Patients in intensive care units are usually high risk patients who need constant attention.

Most hospitals have multiple intensive care units that deal with patients in...